DIY Builds
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Should I put rock under my shed?

Having the area beneath and around your shed free from vegetation will prevent the base of your shed becoming damp and prone to decay. Drainage – Having the stone beneath the shed will make it easy for any rain or ground water to quickly disperse.

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Gravel beneath my shed

by Luis

(OK, USA)

Do I really need stones or gravel under my shed, if I do why is that? Also, how can I keep spiders and bugs from sticking under my shed?

Shedman says:

Hi Luis,

It is a good idea to have stones/gravel under your shed for several reasons. Rats – Having a layer of stone beneath the shed discourages rats as it makes it difficult to build a nest/burrow (see more below). Weeds – Installing a layer of weed suppressant fabric with a 4-6 inch layer of stone on top will discourage vegetation growth. Having the area beneath and around your shed free from vegetation will prevent the base of your shed becoming damp and prone to decay. Drainage – Having the stone beneath the shed will make it easy for any rain or ground water to quickly disperse. It also pays to make sure that there is a slight fall on the base of the excavation and that there is somewhere for the water to escape at the lowest corner. This will mean that water the water can escape and does not ‘pond’ beneath the shed. Damp – Having a layer of stone beneath the shed will enable water to quickly soakaway into the ground. Just to summarise, it is not mission critical if you don’t put that layer of stone beneath your shed but you may experience problems with the above if you don’t. It depends a bit on the type of shed that you have in mind. Finally, I can’t really help you much with the bugs and spiders. ;-) Just joking, you could fit a layer of plywood beneath the shed to minimise spaces where insects could enter and the underside of the shed would be flush too. However, spiders and sheds go together like peaches and cream. You don’t often get one without the other.

All the best

John

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With the plastic shed base installed, fill all of the panels with suitable angular gravel or angular aggregate which will create a solid and flat surface on which to stand your shed or other garden building. The base is 40mm deep and will require around 8kg of gravel or aggregate to fill each panel.

Preparing The Ground

Ground preparation is a crucial part of installing a plastic shed base, without the correct preparation the benefits such as permeability will not be as effective. So, first of all, you need to decide where your shed will be going on your garden or allotment. Once you have decided, measure out the base and outline this in the turf. Next, remove the existing turf and soil from within the outlined area down to a depth of around 70mm and dispose of the waste responsibly. Digging down to 70mm allows for the base to sit flush with the remaining turf once the installation is complete. With the area now clear, lay down the sheet of membrane and secure it into the ground using the provided metal pins. The membrane is used to stop weeds from growing up through the base but still allows water to drain away naturally. Finally, on top of the secured membrane, a bedding layer of between 5mm-20mm angular gravel or crushed aggregate approximately 30mm deep needs to be laid and compacted down very well to ensure the surface is level and hard. If the sub-base needs a little more material to level it out then we suggest using some sharp sand.

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